A reconfigurable architecture is understood in the present case to be modules (VPUs) having a configurable function and/or interconnection, in particular integrated modules having a plurality of arithmetic and/or logic and/or analog and/or memory and/or internal/external interconnecting units that are configured in one or more dimensions and are interconnected directly or via a bus system.
Generic modules of this type include in particular systolic arrays, neural networks, multiprocessor systems, processors having a plurality of arithmetic units and/or logic cells and/or communicative/peripheral cells (IO), interconnecting and networking modules such as crossbar switches as well as conventional modules of the generic types FPGA, DPGA, Chameleon, XPUTER, etc. Reference is made in this context in particular to the following protective rights of the present applicant: P 44 16 881.0-53, DE 197 81 412.3, DE 197 81 483.2, DE 196 54 846.2-53, DE 196 54 593.5-53, DE 197 04 044.6-53, DE 198 80 129.7, DE 198 61 088.2-53, DE 199 80 312.9, PCT/DE 00/01869, DE 100 36 627.9-33, DE 100 28 397.7, DE 101 10 530.4, DE 101 11 014.6, PCT/EP 00/10516, EP 01 102 674.7, DE 196 51 075.9-53, DE 196 54 846.2-53, DE 196 54 593.5-53, DE 197 04 728.9, DE 198 07 872.2, DE 101 39 170.6, DE 199 26 538.0, DE 101 42 904.5, DE 101 10 530.4, DE 102 02 044.2, DE 102 06 857.7, DE 101 35 210.7-53, EP 02 001 331.4, 60/317,876. These are herewith incorporated to the full extent for disclosure purposes.
The aforementioned architecture is used as an example for illustration and is referred to below as VPU. This architecture is composed of any arithmetic cells, logic cells (including memories) and/or memory cells and/or networking cells and/or communicative/peripheral (IO) cells (PAEs) which may be arranged to form a one-dimensional or multidimensional matrix (PAC), the matrix optionally having different cells of any type; bus systems are also understood to be cells here. The matrix as a whole or parts thereof are assigned a configuration unit (CT) which influences the interconnection and function of the PA.